Not that there's anything wrong with that
by whimsical-one-ga
Summary: Could Hotch be gay? The team isn't sure what to think. Question finally answered and pairing change to Jj/Hotch
1. Wait, what?

"Do you want that last spring roll?" Garcia asked even as she reached towards the center of the table as JJ and Blake both motioned for her to take it. It was a rare day that the team members were not only on stand-down but that the three women had time to take a lunch break together.

"I think we should all leave early, Hotch is off today, Rossi is in his office working on his next book, it's not like anyone will notice" JJ suggested, already imagining being able to go home and spend some time with her young son. Will was keeping him due to his work schedule but she always looked for more opportunities to spend time with Henry. She was fortunate that her divorce from Will had been amicable. They had both finally acknowledged that the relationship was not working, only being held together by the child they had produced, agreeing that was too much pressure to place on their child and before deciding to divorce. Will had taken another apartment close by and they found they had gotten along much better now that they weren't trying to force a relationship to work and could just focus on being parents together.

"Speaking of Hotch, isn't that him?" Blake spoke up drawing the attention of the women to the restaurant window where they realized they were indeed seeing their boss walking down the sidewalk across the street in a discussion with a young man.

"I wonder who that is" Garcia couldn't help but speculate as their attention zeroed in on their unit chiefs companion. The man was obviously younger, muscular and with a blond crew cut. "He's good looking," she observed without receiving any dispute as the women watched the pair with interest. Hotch was in casual clothes and the two men seemed to be engaged in a friendly albeit intense discussion judging by the body language of what the profilers witnessed.

'"He looks gay," Blake finally stated after studying the younger man's mannerisms. As if to illustrate her observation three jaws dropped almost simultaneously when the man impulsively hugged their boss who appeared to return the embrace before stepping back and glancing around.

"Did I just see what I thought I saw?" Garcia gasped, still holding the half eaten spring roll in her hand. "Could Hotch have a boyfriend?"

"Hotch isn't gay," JJ hissed emphatically under her breath, "not that there would be anything wrong with it if he was." She hastily added.

"I wouldn't think so either, he's about as alpha male as you can get" Blake agreed even as she continued to survey the pair as they walked down the sidewalk and out of view.

"Ok, we're overreacting, reading too much into that." JJ said feeling her stomach flutter as she tried to deny what the interaction had looked like. She didn't want to even entertain the idea, not because she cared about people's sexual orientation in a general sense but in regards to the man she had harbored a secret crush on for years, she couldn't help but feel let down at the thought.

"Probably so," Garcia agreed with her friend, though the tone of her voice was far from convinced.

"Hotch was married, has a son, he's got a girlfriend." JJ continued still trying to rationalize.

"Actually he and Beth broke up, I thought you knew." Blake said startled that she knew something the others didn't.

"What, how do you know?" Garcia whirled wondering where this juicy bit of information had come from.

"I overheard him talking to Rossi, I didn't know it was a secret." It was Blake's turn to be on the receiving end of incredulous stares as two pairs of blue eyes were now fixed on her.

"We're going to have to bring you up to code on how the gossip cycle works." Garcia said conspiratorially as the waiter approached with their check, halting their conversation as they reluctantly prepared to return to work.

"I'm glad Hotch won't be there, I don't think I could look him in the eye right now." JJ said as they got in the SUV they had carpooled in.

"I didn't realize you were offended by things like that?" Blake said neutrally, doubting her profiling skills for a minute as JJ had typically struck her as an open minded person.

"Oh it's not that, it's just that she's had a crush on him forever and it will mess with her fantasies if it turns out he likes men." Garcia said bluntly causing an outraged yelp from JJ at having her secret revealed so casually, but not caring too much as she figured Blake probably already had a clue from her time with the team thus far.

"I'm going to see what Morgan thinks though when we get back, he'll know." Garcia announced causing another ripple of excitement through the van.

"We can't do that, then we're spreading rumors about our boss that could really hurt his reputation if not his career." Blake sounded the voice of reason as she halted the idea. "I think we need to accept that this is all a huge misunderstanding of some sort and let it go."

"Sure, after we find out for sure who that guy is and why he hugged bossman." Garcia said brightly, not the least deterred by Blake's attention to let the matter rest.

"I told him I would drop our daily reports by his house this evening, I'll just let him know what we saw and let him explain it." Blake suggested with a brief sigh, thinking the younger women were making this whole ordeal much more complicated than it had to be and already relishing the opportunity to explain a silly misunderstanding as she started the next morning armed with the facts.

AN: This is mostly intended as a light fic, not making any political statements or judgments, just having a little fun with the team. Hope you all enjoy.


	2. Paul

**Chapter 2: Paul**

"Finally, we can put this thing to rest." Blake thought as she knocked on the door of Hotch's apartment, feeling a shock when it was opened by the young man they had seen with him on the street earlier, a smile plastered on his face.

"Oh hi, Aaron said someone would be coming by with papers, you must be Blake." He said genially as he held out his hand to accept the manila folder. "He's in the shower so it will be a few minutes."

"I'm sorry I really have to give these directly to Hotch." Blake managed not to sputter in surprise as he stepped back to allow her into the apartment. She momentarily tensed as she wondered if she might be walking into a trap but hearing the shower running everything appeared to be ok, especially as Jack ran out of a back room to see who had arrived. He became shy at seeing her, even though he knew she worked with his daddy he had not gotten to know her yet like he had his Aunt JJ or Aunt Penelope.

"Uncle Paul, can I play in your room." Jack turned and addressed the man in the room politely as his attention wandered from Blake.

"Sure sport," the man she now knew as Paul granted him permission as Jack ran back down the hall. "He should be out in a few minutes, would you like a glass of wine while you wait?" He offered as he picked up his own glass that had been sitting on the dining room table.

Blake could almost feel her knuckles turning white on the envelope, reminding herself that it was just fine if their unit chief was gay and she still needed to keep an open mind. Trying to stop herself from jumping conclusions she turned her attention back to the young man, he seemed pleasant enough but definitely had an effeminate quality about him that seemed to support the groups assumption from earlier that day. "So you're Uncle Paul, Jack must think a great deal of you?" She said trying to be neutral and use facts already in evidence.

"Oh yes, he's a great kid isn't he? I can't believe how fast he's growing though, seems like just yesterday that he was a toddler." Paul said airily, likely unaware that he had just revealed to the profiler that he had obviously known Hotch for quite some time.

"Yes, they do grow fast," she agreed forcing a smile, "especially if you don't get to see them often."

"Tell me about it, but I get to see him pretty often, I usually get to stay here when I'm in the city. I travel here a lot with my work, it sure helps to have a room here." He added lightly as he ran his finger absentmindedly over the curve of the sofa where he was sitting.

"Oh, what kind of work do you do?" Blake inquired since he had opened that door for her, hearing the shower turn off and knowing she was running out of time.

"I'm an attorney, my focus is on cases that involve sexual discrimination especially in relation to those in the gay and lesbian community. It's still so common for that kind of discrimination to be overlooked." He said, his passion for his career as obvious as the fact that he was gay at this point but giving Blake another possible explanation as to his presence.

"Oh, and Hotch is an attorney also, so you two have probably worked together in the past." She suggested knowing from the sounds down the hallway that her time to talk with Paul was coming to an end.

"Oh no, we've never worked together," he laughed at the suggestion, "though I've got to admit his experience and knowledge of law has certainly proven helpful. It's so nice to have a boyfriend who could hook me up with a place to stay as well as a legal sounding board." He laughed as he took another sip of wine just as the sound of footsteps sounded down the hallway.

Blake barely kept her expression in check and found her voice just as a freshly showered Hotch appeared, clothed but hair still damp from the shower as he took the folder from her. "Thanks for bringing these by," He said politely but in a tone of obvious dismissal as he began walking her to the door.

"Sorry, I didn't realize you had someone else here." She said gamely, still hoping to set the record straight as she decided to pretend that she hadn't heard Jack mention the bedroom.

"Oh yeah, family friend," Hotch said vaguely as he began leafing through the forms in his hand, offering no further explanation as he stopped and held the door open for her and escorted her out. Leaving her standing in the cool night air with more questions than answers as she tried to process what she had seen.

**AN: Thanks everyone for your reviews. I have a few more chapters to go, hope you enjoy. Also thanks to whiteswan for her ongoing willingness to be a sounding board despite a busy schedule.**


	3. Word Spreads

**Chapter 3: Word Spreads**

The next morning Blake didn't even have a chance to put her things down at her desk before she was herded into Garcia's office and the door shut behind her with two expectant blondes waiting for information. No matter how she tried to tone down what she had seen she had to admit it did nothing to dispel the budding suspicions that had begun the day before and seemed to cement the impression that their boss was leading a double life. With what Blake had seen the fact that Hotch had been married before and had a son and even his brief relationship with Beth began to do little except raise more questions as to whether he had been maintaining a cover or not as it was certainly not unusual for them to encounter men and women who would marry and have children despite their preference for their own gender.

"So you said his name is Paul and he's an attorney, I should be able to find him in minutes." Garcia announced triumphantly as she turned to her computer, ready to find out everything she could about the mystery man apparently staying in their bosses apartment.

"Wait, no Garcia, we can't do this." JJ was surprisingly the voice of reason as she stopped her friend. While her heart was still hurting at the thought of losing even the remote chance of something more than friendship with Hotch, she could not violate his privacy like that. They had lines about investigating personal lives and this would definitely cross it.

"Fine," Garcia looked disappointed as she turned from her computer, her expression showing that she accepted JJ's boundary setting even if she didn't like it.

"She's right," Blake admitted, "maybe he is gay, maybe he's not, but regardless we have to respect his privacy and keep this to ourselves." Blake reinforced JJ's point as she opened the door, hoping to keep the speculation under wraps, almost jumping when she saw Derek standing at the door, fist half raised,

"So is it true? Is Hotch gay?" Morgan asked without preamble looking at the ladies expectantly causing JJ and Blake to turn back towards the tech analyst with accusing looks.

"What? I couldn't keep a secret like that without telling my best buddy." Garcia looked defensive, though was embarrassed as when she had told Derek she thought he had understood he wasn't supposed to repeat it to anyone but her.

JJ groaned outwardly at the knowledge that Morgan had been let in on the speculation, he was a worse gossip than Rossi was and it wouldn't be long before the rumor had made it to the rest of the team.

"I can't believe he could live with a secret like that, wow talk about difficult," Morgan's words helped her shift her thought back from her own feelings of frustration to what it must be like for their boss. Living a lie day after day, knowing what would happen if found out. While the agency generally kept an unwritten don't ask don't tell policy about it and had become more accepting it had not been that long ago when there were lawsuits occurring due to agents being fired based on their sexual orientation. Even though this had mostly ended, they were all still aware of recent cases where agents had resigned from the pressure they had faced if their orientation became known. While the workplace was loosening in terms of its conduct towards gay or lesbian agents, in terms of supervisory and managerial positions the system of the FBI still tended to be archaic, with women still struggling to break the glass ceiling without letting the stress of it break them down. JJ felt guilty as she looked at it from this new angle, all this time she had been so focused on her own brokenhearted feelings that she had not given thought as to what life must be like for Hotch if he had to hide this from everyone.

"How sad, he didn't even feel free to tell us." Garcia said softly, sadness in her eyes as she too had moved past the shock aspect to one of compassion. "We should go tell him we know and that it's ok and we still care." She pronounced moving towards her door, stopped by a strong pair of hands as Morgan pulled her back.

"Oh no, trust me, a man does not want to be found out that way. If he wants us to know then he needs to be the one to feel comfortable enough to tell us. So now we know, we play it cool, and when he is ready to tell us he will." Morgan sounded calmly accepting of the possibility though obviously Garcia would be filling him in on more later on the newer information. But for now they all seemed committed to trying to keep their newfound knowledge and suspicions from spreading, intent on protecting their boss even though he had not asked for their help.

**AN: Thanks as always for the reviews, glad folks are enjoying it. It is supposed to be read in a lighthearted manner so no worries if you find yourself chuckling. Trying to update daily until it's finished.**


	4. Be that way

**Chapter 4: Be that way**

"His name was Paul," Rossi heard whispering among the team as he silently approached the bullpen hearing Reid, Morgan and Garcia talking animatedly. "Hotch was in the shower, and Paul has a room there, Jack calls him Uncle Paul," Rossi heard snippets of the conversation as his approach was noticed before everyone grew silent.

"Am I interrupting something?" He asked, noticing the guilty looks as they nervously exchanged glances just as JJ and Blake returned to the table.

"We figured out Hotch's secret. You probably already knew I'll bet?" Morgan announced, electing himself spokesman of the group as he looked at Rossi. "About Paul," he clarified seeing the senior profilers look of confusion.

"Guys, seriously, we leave you alone for fifteen minutes and now you're telling Reid and Rossi, why not put a notice in the office newsletter." JJ groused as she took her seat, letting her frustration at the obvious failure of the team to respect Hotch's privacy. All she earned for her trouble was a couple guilty looks before gazes shifted back to Rossi.

"It's really not that unusual for gay men to get married and have a family, either exploring their urges in secret or repressing them until a time they feel safe to do so," Reid broke the silence that had begun as he shared his own insight into the speculation that was brewing.

"Paul?" Rossi said slowly as he tried to put the pieces together. "You guys met Paul then?" He asked, continuing to move slowly so as to not give anything away.

"See I told you he already knew." Garcia taunted Derek as she turned back to Rossi. "Yes, he seems like a very nice young man, all we want is for Hotch to be happy, we don't care what he does in his private life." She assured him, hoping Rossi might be the vessel to convey the message back to Hotch.

Rossi listened as the story tumbled out along with various statements of acceptance from the team before finally holding up a hand to indicate he wanted to speak. "I think I should tell you all just a little more about Paul," He began as Hotch began to descend the stairs just in time to hear his colleagues words, a glower instantly forming on his face as he stared down his friend.

"Hey Hotch I was just getting ready to tell the team…" Rossi had stopped and turned when he heard his friends approach.

"I heard, my office Dave, now!" Hotch said as he turned, obviously angry as Rossi followed him.

The team watched through the blinds in morbid fascination as the men obviously argued, imagining Hotch's anger at thinking of having his confidence betrayed.

"Does the word confidential mean anything to you Dave?" Hotch spoke quietly but intensely as he narrowed his eyes at his friend.

"Yes, but I thought the team should know who Paul is, since Blake met him, they're a little confused." Rossi said diplomatically not sure how his friend would take the news of how they had assembled the pieces.

"If they have any questions they can come to me but I don't want you to tell them about him, that's not for you to tell?" Hotch ground out in his most fierce supervisor tone as Rossi nonchalantly raised an eyebrow.

_"So that's how you want to play it,"_ Rossi thought, nonplussed and just a little offended at the response he was getting. He felt a little of his own ire raise, not used to being treated like a rookie agent by his longtime friend. "Fine Hotch, I won't say another word." He agreed smoothly as he rose and moved towards the door in a conciliatory nature, hiding the smile threatening to form as he imagined watching the drama that was sure to unfold.

**AN: Thanks as always for the reviews and feedback, I know the chapters are short but hopefully posting frequency makes up for that.**


	5. Shoulder to lean on

**Chapter 5 - A shoulder to lean on**

While Rossi disappeared into his own office the agents occupying the bullpen practically set at attention when Hotch reappeared, his face set in an all too familiar unsmiling mask.

"I understand there are some questions about a friend of mine. All I have to say is that I would like to be afforded the same privacy we all receive in terms of our lives outside of work. In the future I would appreciate it if details of my life were not spread around the office, that's all." He finished with a withering look at Blake whom he considered the obvious source of information after her visit to his home.

Blake felt her cheeks flame red, feeling unjustly accused but deciding now was not the time to bring up how they had first noticed Paul and Hotch together outside the Chinese restaurant. "Understood sir," they all said in unison as they watched him turn and leave.

"What a waste," Garcia mumbled under her breath as she blatantly checked out the rear end of their departing boss before she sat down chastised along with the others as they tried to do what they had been ordered and refocus on their work.

_CMCMCMCMCMCMCMCM_

It was with a heavy heart that JJ arrived at home that evening, barely acknowledging Will's greeting as he asked about her day at work. Finally unable to hold back her frustration she turned to the man she now considered a friend and confidante now that they had moved past the awkward post-breakup stage and more towards friendship. "We found out Hotch is gay", she announced dully tired of the pretense of trying to pretend she didn't care and deciding to take the opportunity to lean on the shoulder of the one non-FBI friend she could confide in as despite his faults Will could be a pretty good listener.

"What? Really?" Will looked stunned and more interested than JJ had expected as he ushered her to the kitchen where supper was prepared as he set the table and dished up their food while she let the whole miserable story spill out, grateful to finally not have to be as stoic as she had tried to be with the team.

"I would have never guessed it, he sure doesn't give off those kind of vibes." Will finally said, looking guarded as he spoke again. "So how do you feel about it?" He asked, prompting JJ to go through the practically rote lines of how she still cared about him as a friend and would support their boss in whatever path he took.

"Ok, now you've given me the politically correct response, so why don't you tell me the truth. This is obviously bothering you." Will prompted gently, confused by the conflicting messages he was receiving from what she was saying as opposed to the look of misery on her attractive features.

"I don't care if people are gay, I care if Hotch is gay," she finally said it aloud, hoping enough time had passed that Will wouldn't be upset at knowing she had harbored feelings for the other man. "I knew I would probably never actually have him but it was nice to dream." She admitted morosely.

"Oh, I see." Was all her ex-husband said as he sat back studying her. "I can't blame you, he is attractive, the tall dark and handsome look is timeless, add that to that alpha personality and I can see where you would fall for him," he said cautiously, watching JJ begin to digest his words before narrowing her eyes to look at the father of her child.

"Is there something I should know?" She asked tentatively, not sure how much more shock her heart could take in a day.

_AN Sorry for delay, my pattern got disrupted obviously. Thanks as always to those who have taken the time to read and reveiw._


	6. Coming Out

_Apologies in advance to any Will fans who might be offended by this_

**Chapter 6: Coming out**

"There's been something I've been waiting for the right time to talk about, this is probably the best opening I'm going to get," Will said slowly and deliberately, obviously becoming guarded as he pushed a cup of coffee into her hands while she watched him speculatively.

As JJ tried to wait patiently, she watching him struggle with how to begin whatever bombshell he was getting ready to drop. As she did so she was grateful that their son was already asleep. Considering what they had just been talking about she had already started dealing with the alarm bell that had begun going off in her mind as soon as he changed the topic, which helped her to maintain a neutral expression instead of accidently spewing hot coffee on him when he finally blurted out that he thought he was gay also.

To Will it was as if with his finally saying it aloud the floodgates had now opened as he began to openly confide his secret for the first time. She listened in attentive yet stunned silence as he proceeded to reveal his own struggles of trying to do what society expected and ignoring his own attraction towards other men. As he talked she couldn't help but think how the story he was telling sounded so similar to what the team had been discussing earlier that very day, about conforming to social norms and the struggles of working in law enforcement with that kind of secret. As she listened her thoughts drifted back to Hotch, wondering if this was truly the same thing he might be dealing with. Though as Will said her name she forced her focus back onto her ex-husband and tried to push the thoughts of Hotch aside. Will became more candid as he shared and as she listened to the story and feelings spilling out of the conflicted man in front of her she couldn't be angry, especially as he asserted several times that he had waited until their marriage had been over and he had some time alone to finally start allowing himself to quietly explore that part of himself that he had kept hidden for so long.

"I haven't actually done anything about it yet," he began winding down, "I'm just still trying to deal with it and figure out what I'm supposed to do with these feelings. I'm getting the feeling from one of my friends on the force that he might also be closeted, but haven't figured out how to approach him yet, if I'm wrong it could be the end of my career." He stopped as he watched her slowly nod in support. Gay or not he had realized long ago she had fallen out of love with him, if she had ever been in the first place. But it wasn't until the confirmation of seeing her so worked up over the possible orientation of her boss that he felt it confirmed enough to be that open with her.

"I'm glad you told me," she said slowly as she reached across to touch his hand supportively, feeling a little less guilty at her part in ending the relationship. She searched within herself for a moment and found that she could not feel the depth of hurt over Will's revelation that she had been struggling with since that day at the Chinese restaurant. It was much easier for her to be supportive as she encouraged him to continue, hearing the relief in his voice at finally having someone safe to talk to. "It's hard JJ, being gay in law enforcement isn't very popular, even if your peers have to be politically correct and supposedly accept it, it changes the way people act. If Hotch is gay, then he's dealing with always feeling like you're hiding a part of yourself from everyone, pretending to be someone else, which makes most relationships superficial, that's probably why he tends to be a little standoffish." Will mused aloud as he switched the topic from himself to Hotch as he helped her consider the behaviors of the man in question. "I wouldn't mind talking about it with him, should he ever need a listening ear, or if he ever breaks up with Paul." He said not hiding the suggestive tone in his voice causing JJ to laugh at his humor as he brought her out of her thoughts.

"Are you telling me you have a crush on my boss?" She had to ask, thinking as she did so that this was never a conversation she would have imagined having before tonight.

"Why not, he is hot, and we can consider it as something besides Henry that we have in common." He joked, joining her as they laughed, doing the best they could to find the humor in the situation to take some of the weight off the conversation they had been having before.

_AN: Thanks to everyone for the reviews, sorry for the delay as always. Hope no one minds the turn with Will, we'll be back to Hotch next chapter. This fic is still intended to be light and fluffy, so if this chapter got a little serious, well I can't totally avoid a serious note here or there but shouldn't be the norm._


	7. Shifting dynamics

**Chapter 7: Shifting dynamics**

Hotch studied the active bullpen from the vantage point through his office blinds. He knew a case was coming in and soon they would all be on the jet and off to immerse themselves in attempts to catch another killer before more lives were lost. As he reflected over the week they had been on stand-down he thought about how it had seemed mostly routine, yet with a few differences. He had noticed more than one unexplained sympathetic looks from Garcia, along with Dave seeming even more amused than usual as of late. He had a tingling sensation that there was something going on he should be aware of but it remained just beyond his reach. JJ had appeared noticeably more subdued lately, she wasn't avoiding him but he felt as if her cheerfulness around him was forced. He knew that times had been difficult for her since her divorce from Will and at the thought felt a pang of regret at the thought that she apparently didn't feel free to come to him about it. Whatever was going on he felt confident that he would have a better idea once they were all on the case, nothing brought them closer as a team than when they were sharing the cramped quarters that typically came as part of their cases, from the plane to the motels and hastily eaten meals, they certainly spent more time together on a case than when they had the freedom of being in the building working more independently. He made a mental note to be even more vigilant and observant of team dynamics on this trip than he usually was.

_Later_

As he sat on the plane it was JJ who took the seat next to him while Blake sat across from him. They were headed towards yet another brutal kidnapping and murder case, this time in a quiet town in Colorado that was apparently rocked to its foundation by the latest crime spree. Hotch quickly noticed that JJ was noticeably less talkative than usual after they finished making initial plans and assigning teams. She and Morgan would be going to the latest crime scene while Blake and Rossi went to the morgue, while Hotch and Reid would go to the police station to begin looking at the evidence and maps assembled there. As Blake excused herself to go to the restroom Hotch decided to take a chance as he turned to the woman he had long considered one of his best friends on the team. "JJ, is there something I should know." He asked, hoping she would shed some light on what she was going through.C

"Know? About what?" She said a little too brightly as she looked at him, not quite meeting his eyes as her mind raced about what exactly he might be asking and what she was supposed to say.

"JJ," he repeated, saying only her name in the deep rich tone that still sent shivers down her spine. "I've noticed you've been acting different lately, I'm concerned about you." He said, letting his tone soften to one of friendship, going as far as he felt comfortable in their current environment even if the others seemed absorbed into other things, the stiffening of her spine confirming for him that something was definitely amiss.

JJ paused as she mulled over the best response she could give without making things more uncomfortable as she was already feeling the temperature in the cabin begin to climb. "I just recently found out that Will is gay, it threw me for a loop." She finally admitted, not missing the brief flicker of surprise in his eyes before his expression became impassive.

"Must be hard to accept," he said neutrally.

"Not really, I'm glad he trusted me enough to finally tell me about it. He's still my friend and Henry's father, I would never shut someone out of my life because they're gay." She said sincerely and a little emphatically hoping he would realize her message included all her friends, including him.

"That is a hard secret to carry in the law enforcement field, it's good that he has you to talk to." Hotch responded slowly, trying not to let the happiness he was feeling show as he realized that the chances of her getting back together with Henry's father had effectively been squashed, forcing his thoughts quickly back to the case as he hoped the expression on his face didn't betray his true feelings on the news. Nothing more was said as Blake rejoined them, though JJ had the feeling it wouldn't have gone much further anyway as he didn't seem interested in pursuing the topic further as he again began reviewing case details with the team.

JJ's behavior did make more sense now Hotch supposed as he and Reid drove to the police station, though just as he thought he had figured JJ out now he was beginning to wonder about the young doctor beside him. Reid wasn't being unusually quiet or subdued, but instead of rattling off related crime statistics he was talking about women. Without any encouragement from Hotch he continued talking about everything from past relationships as well as general comments about women he had noticed working around the bureau. While the unit chief was used to this behavior from Rossi or even Morgan, to hear Reid doing it was unnerving. He spent the rest of the ride half listening and making noncommittal grunts as he started thinking about how he might need to keep the young man paired with anyoe but the two notorious womanizers on the team before he lost his focus entirely as he also noted that Reid had seemed to regress back to an earlier more awkward and jumpier version of himself that had seemed to calm with the age and experience he had accumulated with the team.

_Later_

"Why does he keep watching me?" Reid hissed uncomfortably to Morgan as they all joined together at the small bar that served as the main watering hole for the town during their stay in the small town. The case had finally come to an end and they were taking the opportunity to relax before boarding the plane that would take them back home.

"I don't know man, maybe he's worried about you, you've been a little jumpy around him, I'm sure he's noticed." Morgan reassured his friend, "it's not like he's ogling you, he's trying to keep it a secret remember? Besides the way you've been talking you've made it abundantly clear that you like women." The black man laughed as he clapped his friend on the back and ordered another drink.

"Oh no, that's it, overkill, I totally missed it." Reid looked panicked, "it probably sounds like I'm in denial."

"Relax Reid, you're overthinking it. Don't worry about it until he compliments your smile and asks you to bunk with him on the next case, but I'm pretty sure his sights are set elsewhere." Rossi said sarcastically but also truthfully as he intervened, having watched Morgan enjoy Reid's rising panic for just a little too long. Hotch had put him in a position not to talk about Paul but he damn sure wasn't going to let the whole team fall apart over it. His words seemed to have the desired effect as Reid relaxed and acknowledged that unless Hotch said something to him he really had no reason to suspect the senior profiler had any interest in him.

_Later_

"Half day tomorrow, get some rest everyone, see you after lunch," Hotch dismissed his tired team members as the plane landed just after two a.m. His tired stoicism was replaced by a smile however as while everyone else as leaving it was JJ to turn and run back towards him, her cheeks and nose already turning red from the cold night air.

"I was thinking, maybe you'd like to come to dinner tomorrow night?" She proposed, pleasantly surprising him by the boldness of her invitation. "You can bring Jack, Henry will be there." She had been talking with Will long distance during the trip and he had proposed that she invite Hotch over so Will could give him the same opportunity to find the freedom he had. He had apparently found great relief from his first attempts at stepping out of the closet now that he had finally spoken about his lifestyle, having conveyed that he now had broached the topic with the other officer and that they had informally started spending a little more time together. As he kept telling JJ how great it felt and how he felt like giving Hotch the same opportunity she had been reluctant, but the expression on her bosses face when she mentioned Will being gay had stayed fixed in her mind and she decided to go with it before she lost her nerve and trust that maybe Will did know best in this area.

"That sounds great JJ, I'd enjoy that, so would Jack." Hotch accepted, not hiding the smile on his face this time at the prospect, more than a little surprised at her boldness but not daring to question it and risk losing the opportunity.

"Great, nothing fancy, see you about seven." She said breezily before turning to catch up with the others, trying to keep a spring in her step and let herself enjoy the unmistakable look of happiness on his face at her invitation. In the past her heart would have turned somersaults at the thought of being able to have such an exchange, belatedly she realized she had been so excited at having him come over she had forgotten to mention Will.

_AN: So sorry for the delay folks, life stays crazy. Thanks to all those who have been reading and reviewing. _


	8. Or Not

**Chapter 8: Or Not….**

Hotch hoped he had hidden his disappointment when it was Will who had opened the door after Jack had eagerly pressed on the doorbell, looking forward to an evening "helping" Henry play with his toys. There was some initial awkwardness but it dissipated as the evening began to unfold with the children eating and going to Henry's room to play while the adults chatted about more trivial topics. As they talked Hotch found himself a little unnerved by Will's attentiveness. Considering how rarely the two men had really interacted before but went along with it as best he could as he tried to sort out the signals he was receiving as he could tell JJ was trying in vain to distance herself from the two while Will tended to be the one to keep the conversation going.

Hotch was ready to verbally protest when dinner was over and it was JJ who moved to the kitchen to clean while Will escorted Hotch to the living room as this was not how he had imagined the evening going as he took the chair while Will settled onto the loveseat nearby. "I thought we should talk," Will finally said bluntly, having watched the man through the evening and deciding that a straightforward approach would be best if he had any chance of opening the proverbial closet door.

"Ok, I'm listening," Hotch said, guarded as he wondered what topic the detective could possibly feel they had enough common interest in to have to discuss privately.

"Look Hotch, I'll be honest, I know JJ's told you about my sexuality, so I want you to know how being able to talk about my attraction to men has been such a freeing experience. Yes I still keep it quiet with my colleagues at work, but being able to talk to those I'm the closest to. It's like the weight of the world lifting off my shoulders." He began, watching the other man as he spoke but not seeing the responsiveness he had hoped for.

"I'm glad you've found that Will," Hotch said uncertainly, wondering why the detective apparently wanted to be able to talk to him about this now but still wanted to be supportive. "You shouldn't have to hide who you are from others." Will added as he tried to think of how to move things forward considering the limited responsiveness he was getting.

"I agree," Hotch responded slowly, watching the younger man carefully as he waited to see where this was going.

He didn't have to wait long as Will charged ahead, deciding to get to the heart of the matter. "JJ and I just want you to know, we are here for you if you ever want to talk, you don't have to worry about us betraying your confidence, but we want you to have that same freedom I've found."

"What?" Hotch barely managed to ask, finding himself at a rare loss for words as he tried to process what he had just heard. "You think I'm gay?" He finally managed to ask quietly, his tone uncertain even as the pieces began clicking together in his mind at a pace that could rival Reid's in that moment. He knew Will wouldn't have gotten that idea without JJ and if that was the case the team probably thought the same, suddenly the behavior of the team began to make sense, from Reid's frequent references to women to Rossi's cryptic looks of amusement as of late. Now he understood why Rossi had been trying to tell the team about Paul. It had not occurred to him that they would make that kind of connection from the brief interaction Blake had with Paul at apartment. Paul had only commented that Blake had seemed nice and he belatedly realized he should have asked for more information about what had been said. The room had essentially faded away as he continued processing the many ramifications this misinformation could hold.

The look of shock on his face spoke volumes to Will as he chuckled in a low tone and leaned forward while JJ remained out of earshot. "You're not gay are you?" He asked Hotch point blank, receiving a slow nod of the head as the agent brought himself back into the present. "Sorry buddy, I guess the team got a different idea, look I'll back out now, obviously you don't need my help here," he said as he rose to quickly leave the stunned unit chief.

"JJ, I think you should come in here," Hotch heard him call out to summon his ex-wife from the kitchen while leaving the room. While his mind had started working more normally he felt glued to the chair as he continued wrapping his mind around what it all meant now, along with how he was now supposed to face JJ.

As JJ appeared she was immediately concerned at the uncharacteristically dumbfounded expression on her bosses face, in total contrast to the amused expression on her ex-husbands. Her cheeks began to flame as she realized that there had been an obvious error in judgment and now she was the one here to face the music, knowing it was about to get very awkward between the two friends, turning belatedly to see if she could get Will to stay, only to find he had already left.

"You think I'm gay?" Hotch caused her to return her attention to him as he slowly spoke the words, watching her intently. Realizing she was on her own she took the seat Will had vacated with a sigh of resignation.

"I didn't at first, but when it seemed to be true, I was trying to be supportive." She said tentatively, continuing as the silence stretched on. "I was surprised when I first brought it up here and Will expressed similar issues, he thought it might be good for you to be able to get it out in the open and I… I just wanted to help," she fumbled for words as she tried to defend herself. When she stopped she was unnerved as the silence stretched on, seeming to engulf the room as he continued to study her, obviously still dealing with his own thoughts. "So I take it you're not really gay?" she finally asked, needing to hear the verbal reassurance as she felt the small seed of hope threatening to bloom again.

_AN: Again sorry for delay, thanks to all for your reviews. I'm assuming this is no great surprise considering how all my other stories tend to go in the pairing category. If it is and you really wanted Hotch to be gay then sorry, but can't take him that direction. There will likely be only one more chapter to wrap this little plot bunny up, thanks for your patience._


	9. A little less talk

**Chapter 9: A little less talk…**

"Are you sure, obviously there was a good bit of evidence to the contrary." Hotch said evenly, resisting the urge to confirm that an error had been made. His curiosity over how she had reached this assumption at least temporarily winning out over the desire to go lick his wounds as he felt the hopes that had arisen earlier with her impromptu dinner invitation already hastily beating a retreat.

"It all seemed to make sense when we put the pieces together," JJ watched him closely still waiting for an answer as she could feel her heartbeat accelerating in anticipation of finding out the truth straight from the source.

"That's where I'm confused, the only thing I'm aware of is that Blake met a man named Paul when she came to my apartment, I'm surprised that's all it takes to cause women to jump to such conclusions." He said mildly, resorting to a calm façade to hide the emotions now whirling within, seeing her eyes widen at what he knew was a chauvinistic remark but it had slipped out before he had given it thought.

"That wasn't all," she finally blurted out, tired of his obvious avoidance of answering her question directly. "Garcia, Blake and I were eating at that new Chinese place and saw you and Paul hug. We tried to give you the benefit of the doubt but that did look pretty strange. Then Blake came to your house and Paul said you were in the shower and seemed to have made himself quite at home according to Alex." Hotch watched intrigued as the words seemed to spill out faster and faster as she moved to defend herself and the other women against the accusation. "Then she said Jack called him Uncle Paul, well, what were we supposed to think?" She finally stopped to draw a breath and looked at him hoping for some sort of response but only receiving a dark eyebrow arching quizzically as he obviously studied her as if waiting for her to continue, sensing that she hadn't quite finished. "He talked about the perks of having a boyfriend that could give him a place to stay as well as free legal advice for goodness sake." She recounted the key points of what Blake had shared with them, still not sure how they had been mistaken in connecting the dots yet still praying inside that he was going to refute the case they had made.

Hotch waited another beat as he watched her now waiting, obviously finished with what she had to say. Finally he decided to give in and end the apparent distress she was experiencing as well as any lingering confusion there might be over just who he was attracted to. "How about that he is Sean's boyfriend, they've been together since meeting at cooking school. I let him stay at my apartment, whether I'm there or not whenever he's in town. This visit he came to ask my blessing in marrying my brother and hugged me when I gave it to him. Jack calls them Uncle Sean and Uncle Paul. While I didn't think anyone would care, Sean is still very private about things outside of his own circle and I was trying to respect his privacy." Hotch explained calmly, watching the play of emotions over her face as he spoke, from interest to surprise to guilt and a mysterious half smile that he wasn't sure how to interpret before it disappeared.

"Oh," JJ's voice was barely a whisper as she realized that the scenario he had painted seemed much more plausible than what they had suspected. When she said no more he continued, now ready to address the many questions that had sprung to his mind ever since Will had dropped the initial bombshell.

"Why couldn't someone just ask me? Everyone's been whispering about this behind my back, making assumptions, spreading rumors. God only knows how far it's traveled at the bureau. Then setting up this little scheme to lure me in to confess to Will," he forced himself to maintain some control as he saw her cringe, her eyes now focused on the floor. He knew he sounded angry and tried to soften his tone to a more diplomatic one as he continued. "Would you guys have cared so much even if it was true? I thought we were all more open minded then that." He started thinking of the different behaviors he had witnessed and understood further why his brother remained so guarded about his lifestyle. After the rumor had begun to spread Rossi had been the only one who had not changed his behavior towards him and now he realized it was only because the older man knew differently as one of the few colleagues privy to Sean's lifestyle. He could now see how his short sightedness in shutting down his friend without asking why he felt the need to inform the team about Paul had helped cause all this and only resulted in Rossi taking advantage of the opportunity to just enjoy the whole mess as it unraveled. Truthfully he could deal with what his team thought, but he didn't want to give anyone like Strauss another weapon in her arsenal against him if she got provoked. He stopped, knowing JJ didn't need him to draw a picture of how this could blow up in all their faces and affect not only him but their team as a whole.

As he watched her seem to struggle but having nothing to say he finally sighed, resigned as he decided it was time to put the disaster of an evening behind them both and collect Jack to go home. "I hope you'll let Garcia and the others know about this little mixup and try to stop the rumor mill before it's over the whole building." He finally said tiredly, hoping she would attribute his emotions to the concern over his professional reputation instead of seeing the pain he felt from having his hopes for the evening so thoroughly dashed.

"I'll text Garcia right now." JJ promised, feeling small as she reached for her phone, still trying to focus anywhere but on the face of the man across from her before a nagging question returned to her mind. She decided to bite the bullet considering it seemed to be a night for clearing the air. Ever since she had left the airport she had started wondering about his quick acceptance of her invitation, she had been so focused on her own agenda and mission it hadn't occurred to her until afterwards that he had accepted based on nothing more than her invitation to come over for dinner. "You didn't even ask why I was inviting you over," she finally asked, her fingers frozen over the buttons on the phone.

"I didn't need to," Hotch answered honestly, feeling the atmosphere in the room take on a new weight as he considered his response and its implications, "I'm always here if you need me, all you have to do is ask," he answered honestly as he watched her blink as she absorbed his admission, before he followed her lead with his own question.

"I'm confused that you seemed to struggle more with the thought of me being gay than that of your ex-husband," He asked, watching as she averted her eyes again and bit her lip in obvious nervousness. As he reflected over the past few days, everyone's response had made sense now that he realized what they had been thinking, everyone except JJ's that was. She had seemed to take the news harder than the others, yet she was the first one of the team who had tried to reach out to him. Even though she had obviously jumped to the wrong conclusion it only reaffirmed for him the unspoken depth of their friendship that she was willing to try to help him even though she had been struggling emotionally.

"I don't mind if people are gay, I just didn't want you to be gay." She said softly, knowing what she was implying but not caring as she realized how tired she was of trying to pretend the only feelings she had for him were as a friend. Daring to make eye contact she could see in his eyes that he had not missed her meaning as she saw the briefest of smiles grace his features as she waited to see what he might say, if she could hear it over the pounding in her ears.

Of all the responses she imagined a kiss hadn't been one of them as she barely registered him moving towards her before his lips were on hers. She paused for the briefest of seconds before letting her eyes drift shut and letting her arms reach around his neck as she dimly registered how soft his hair was as she touched it for the first time.

The sound of Will clearing his throat repeatedly caused the couple to finally pull apart, looking embarrassed as they considered their little display and the bemused expression on Will's face. "Helluva misunderstanding but it seems to have worked out for the best." He mused as he watched JJ blush and bury her head in Hotch's shoulder. "Listen I'm going to clear out, let you guys continue talking, just remember there are children present." He teased lightly as he headed for the door with a wave goodnight.

At the sound of the door closing they looked at each other again. "We could talk," Hotch said agreeably, knowing there would be a lot of that over the next few days as he apologized to Rossi for not hearing him out combined with thanking him as he was already certain that despite the enjoyment he had probably experienced that he would have still used his influence to dispel the rumor before it made it too far out of their unit. He also anticipated having a talk with Strauss as soon as possible about getting JJ reassigned to a different supervisor, his mind started running ahead with all the steps he would have to take next as his hopes from earlier in the evening returned full force.

"We could talk, but I'd rather not." JJ's mischievous voice broke him from his planning as she pushed him back onto the chair with a smile, intent on enjoying the few more minutes they might have before the boys emerged from Henry's room. He offered no argument as he pulled her towards him for another breathtaking kiss as they relished the newness of this aspect of their rapidly shifting relationship.

"I'm really glad you're not gay." She whispered huskily after they broke apart again gasping for air. "Not that there's anything wrong with that."

_AN: Congrats to the few reviewers who figured out who Paul really was. Thanks to everyone who took time to give feedback, hope you enjoyed it. _


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